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Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth GamesThe Honourable Kate Jones

Innovation report shines spotlight on future of state’s job market

Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games
The Honourable Kate Jones

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Innovation report shines spotlight on future of state’s job market

A detailed report into the future of Queensland’s jobs market highlights the growing demand for government-backed innovation to drive the state forward, with up to one million new jobs projected to be created by 2038, says Innovation Minister Kate Jones. The Innovation Imperative report, released by CSIRO’s Data61 today, identifies the technology, emerging global markets, demographics, digitisation, cultural change and other megatrends that will reshape Queensland in the next 20 years.

The release of the report coincides with the launch of the Palaszczuk Government’s ‘Our Innovation Future’ review, also announced by Innovation Minister Kate Jones today.

Ms Jones said the government’s commitment to innovation was putting Queensland on track to become a world leader in emerging tech industries including artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.

“We’re investing more than half-a-billion dollars to create the jobs of the future in our state,” she said.

“This report confirms what we’ve known for a long time – Queensland’s workforce is rapidly changing.

“Thanks to our investment in innovation, we are in the perfect position to capitalise on the emergence of new technologies like robotics. The fact that up to a million jobs will be created in Queensland by 2038 is proof of the great opportunities we’re helping to support.”

The Innovation Imperative report details the need for innovation, with up to one million new jobs predicted to be created in the next two decades through technology shifts.

But alongside a jobs boom comes a warning around the need for a continued focus on innovation by business, research and government, with about 860,000 jobs at risk of being impacted in some way as the industrial landscape continues to evolve.

“Innovation isn’t just about creating new jobs. We’re working hard to provide funding and support to upskill workers in jobs that are likely to be impacted,” Ms Jones said.

“That’s another reason why I recently announced a review of the state’s innovation system to identify ways the government can work with entrepreneurs and researchers to foster innovation to achieve growth and secure jobs.

“As part of this review, we’re looking at ways we can better partner with employers to upskill workers and create more sustainable jobs in Queensland.

“For almost 20 years, the Queensland Government has invested in ways to prepare the state’s economy for the future - from the early days of Smart State to our current $650 million Advance Queensland fund, specially designed to diversify our economy.”

Ms Jones said CSIRO’s Data61 report outlined the challenges yet potential for Queensland in the face of accelerating global change.

“The report gives us a uniquely Queensland view of the impacts of automation in the Australian economy,” she said.

“It’s research like this that is crucial to our decision-making for the next 20 years. That’s why we’re incorporating discussions about automation and destabilising technologies into our review of Queensland’s innovation agenda.”